No luck with my first try at pulling teeth...

There was a time when Ian would have thought this photo was cool...he is growing up alright. This was a photo set up for Jade and he happened to be messing around and she took the photo..he was like.."Mom"..."this is for a girl"...back in the day..he would have liked it.
I would love to post all the photos I have taken of Ian, but I don't have any right now..he is refusing to get his picture taken...it has been an eventful past 2 weeks..he fell and got a huge ugly black-eye. He was running in crocs and fresh sod and fell...always a deadly combination. It is healing at the moment, but continues to change colors daily...it is now to the point that he looks like Boy George with all his eyeshadow. He has also lost one tooth and another is on its way out...literally. I picked him up from school and he announced he didn't eat his apple or carrots..he will only be eating "soft" foods for awhile..I inquire..he explains his tooth is falling out...I ask to see it...GROSS!! It is all sideways and just hanging on...gag! I don't do teeth...it makes me sick. Jeff pulled out the last one but he is out of town. We get home...I run through my mind..you can do this...just do it. I ask him if I can pull it.."NO". I just want to look...he opens..I get my courage...I take a tug with my eyes closed..expecting to see a tooth in my hand and Ian grinning with delight...didn't happen. I got nothing. Ian starts crying and screaming saying I lied....I tried to pull it. How do you defend that...I couldn't. Ian is off to spend the night with Jeff's parents...I am hoping he comes back without a tooth...I tried to explain.."Grandpa delivers babies and he has done lots of surgeries..tooth surgery he askes..darn kid..he gets me everytime. Anyway, he is off to have a night of fun followed by a day of fun with his Aunt Karen...the are going to a snake and reptile show(not fun), Lou's drive in( it is the last day of the season), Fired up( to make pottery) and someplace else that I don't know about...sounds fun to me.

Back to school....

This would be what I walked in on the first morning of school...a party in my bed...I was too busy to join...you know someone had to get breakfast, make lunch, get things organized etc.



Ian on his 2nd day of school...I got him ready this time..I posted these in the wrong order...I meant to do this one second...notice the tucked in shirt and belt...not shown in photo below...Dad's dressing.


Jeff went with us to the first big day!!



Jenna helped out around the house this summer with Ian and Jade...what a lifesaver. She came 2 times a weeks and my niece came on day a week. Jenna is off to college now and Ian is crushed...last night he told me she hasn't called yet...I explained that she had only been gone 4 days...he went on to say he wants to marry a girl like that...like what I asked...you know..pretty, likes to hunt for bugs, likes to play tanks, work in the garden, and play on the swingset. That sounds good to me. She will be back at Christmas and we are looking forward to it.

Thanks Mom....

Ian just said "thanks mom" and walked by me in the kitchen last night....I have no idea what he said it in response to, but I said "your welcome". I asked him before bed what he was talking about....I can't wait to show him this when he is in high school or college....

The list went like this(maybe not in exact order)

Thanks for...

Being so pretty....
Wearing cool shoes....
Always dressing "funky"...ok...
Smelling good when I hug you...
Not having hairy legs and armpits...

I am thinking the above come from being at an art festival last week with "natural" women and the others from being at school with some other moms that are about 25 with 15 kids and dress like they are 50....

These are the ones that meant the most...

Kissing me...
Hugging me...
Always loving me...even when I don't listen...
Smiling at me when we are at school...
I always know you are there for me...I think he means to pick him up from school
But most of all...for loving my dad, me, and carrying that Jade in your tummy...because I saw it mom...and it looked bad...you had this big roll of skin and a cut mark...(I am like enough already)...but you are looking good again...thanks mom...I was worried it would stay that way.

"Goodnight mom"..."Goodnight Ian"..."Love You"....oh yea mom..."do you think you could have just one more baby for our family?"

Photos of Ian and Jade...

Right in our own backyard.....

I have no photos this time...sorry Holli...but I just have to write this down so that I remember it in the future.

Living in England was for a time. Traveling the world was fun!! I just never realized how much neat stuff was right in front of me and I just didn't notice it and it is in the United States!!

We just got back from driving to Kentucky and Tennesee..I have done this about 100 or more times in my life...when we lived there. I can't tell you have beautiful it was...I gotta say give me dirty France or these mountains..with fresh waterfalls, the rocks, etc...not a chance I would pick the ugly steel Effel Tower.

I always thought my sisters former neighbors were crazy..they would get in the car and drive around looking at flowers, graveyards, cornfields, etc...taking photos....they loved it...I should add they were from England.

Jeff and I were sitting outside last night...this was the first time this has happened this summer...we were alone...we just talked about how we wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now...yep..Peoria Illinois is it!!

The kids....

Ian is about to lose his first tooth...as you can see in the photo it has moved away from the one right beside it...it is so ready to fall out. He is holding on to it..Jeff gets home tonight and he wanted to wait until he got home because he didn't want anyone in the house at night without daddy home(aka..toothfairy) I asked how much do you get for your first tooth...he thinks maybe $50.00 or $100.00..he will be fine with either...we don't have the same tooth fairy!!


Ask a family why they want to move back to the states...the photo will give you the answer...this is Beau!! He is our Swiss Mountain Dog...he is 120 pounds of baby!! He is so happy to have us home...he has lost 14 pounds since we got home...he was 134!! My mom gave him PBJ sandwiches before bed...not happening here!! He is so sweet and lovable...he was a given to us by someone that couldn't care for him due to his size. He know has 2 acres to run on and he comes inside during the winter...he doesn't shed and I get him groomed about every 6 weeks...he is too cute. You must beware...he loves to bump into you and it will knock you down and he loves to kiss you!!




This is Jade...my long-legged girl...not brown eyed girl...her eyes will actually stay blue/hazel color I think...those Woods genes are strong...sorry Jeff. She is so long!! She is growing out of her 6 months pants in length...I am going to have to stop buying one piece outfits because she is too long for her upper body size. She is getting a tooth...I think or I like to think...this has to be the reason she is up so early every morning. She also uses the restroom at 4:30 a.m. some mornings...I can hear her going...she will fall back to sleep, but than I lay there and think about the poop, the smell, will she get diaper rash...NOPE I can't do it...so I get up and change her...I wish she would just wait until 5:30...you know when she gets up for the day...ugh!!



I can't believe summer is almost over...Ian starts school on the 17th of August. Jade and I will start our days alone...it has been a crazy past 6 months with moving, giving birth, unpacking, all the house stuff, etc. I guess I am ready for a break...I still have more boxes to go through...that is my Fall project.

Problem solved....

I really wouldn't have written about this again...but everyone and their brother have been sending me emails...so I decided to address it. I went ahead and wrote that girl back and just said I didn't hold any grudge aganist her, but thanks and no thanks...see ya sister!!! I didn't write it in those words, but something to that effect. She didn't respond which tells me that she is probably the same girl I knew in high school...we will see at the 25 year reunion...just kidding!!

This whole facebook thing is a little weird to me...I don't even know half of these people that invite me to be their friends...I think they just want to rack up the numbers...I would love to flatter myself and think I am that popular...but it is not happening.

Looking back these past few days on high school and past experiences in life has been fun..I get so wrapped up in the today that I often forget about where I have been...wow...Life was fine back than...it was what I made it...I wouldn't be the person I am today had I not walked through everyone of those experiences...both good and bad. I am sure that plenty of people could step up and say how I did something to offend them or I was rude etc...I wouldn't remember one of those experiences because it wasn't intentional...the way people make us feel inside is about us not really them...

Life is weird...really weird.....

I am writing this more for me than anyone else...so really don't waste your time reading. I just don't want to forget this crazy thing that happened to me...I am just strolling along in life and I hit a wall from the past...yep...the past. I can't stop thinking about it...what you may ask...well sit back and read.
I really don't know where to start so I guess I will just go with it...I got a request from someone from highschool to be my friend on facebook...I didn't have my maiden name for a long time, but finally put it up. This person wanted to be my friend..this is the same person that made my life a living HELL!! I never talk about what this person did but she was really mean to me...just an example...she used to tell me how ugly I was and get all her friends to say I was ugly and looked like a monkey...got figure...I knew I wasn't ugly..yea not a supermodel, but not ugly and I certainly didn't look like a monkey...maybe M. Jackson but not a monkey. I had to pleasure of having 2 classes with her...God why??...in one class she got seated by me and stood up and refused to be anywhere near me...the teacher moved her..I was so mad at that teacher for letting her get her way...I suppose the teacher thought she was doing me a favor. She would bump into me in the hallway, kick my books, make fun of me...etc on a daily basis...what did I do...nothing. I always knew there was something wrong with her to behave this way and in some way I felt sorry for her...that doesn't mean it made it easy. I remember not wanting to go to school sometimes, walking other ways to avoid her...etc.
I understand some of the problem..I had a great sports car(which nobody had in highschool...thanks dad) I had nice clothes( thanks mom for working 2 jobs while having a disability) parents that were still married, a boyfriend etc...I was going to college...yea I was lucky....I knew it back than...but she made me miserable.
I eventually stood up to her near the end of my senior year...I still remember the day..what I was wearing..everything...I wasn't mean...just matter of fact...I remember she beamed me with a volleyball and I threw it back and her and walked over and said "lets go" you want to beat me up...than give it a try....a pin could have dropped on that gym floor...the bell rang and everyone left including her and that was it....she never bothered me again...well until now.
I can't believe I am even talking about this...this is so long ago, but I realize that there are some scars left by her or just the way she made me feel and I bet she has no idea...I really don't think she would do this today or she is a mean person..she was just a stupid young insecure girl, but you know what I have enough really good friends...
My niece who is like nice to everyone says...ignore her...she just wants to snoop about you...she doesn't like you anymore today than she did 22 years ago...you know what she is probably right...